The present invention relates to labelers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hand held labeler utilizing an X-Y plotter.
Labeler devices have long been used to make self-adhesive strips of labels with appropriate indicia thereon. The self-adhesive strips of labels are then attached to objects for various purposes such as identification of the objects. However, a typical drawback with existing labelers is their relative bulkiness which limits their portability. Additionally, another problem with currently existing labelers is their severely limited ability to provide labels of various sizes/orientation of characters. Some attempts have been made at developing a hand held labeler as is evident by U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,692. However, this patent exhibits several disadvantages. For example, thermographic printing elements are employed, requiring the use of special thermal paper. In addition, heat dissipation and packaging are a problem. Also, a thermographic printer device cannot change the color of the label print. Further, the display does not appear to be positioned such that the operator can readily observe the entries being made at the keyboard. The power requirements would also appear fairly substantial. In addition to these and many other problems, the hand held labeler disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,692 appears relatively complicated and indeed, it is difficult for the applicant to appreciate how the labeler disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,692 will even function as disclosed.
The present invention solves these and many other problems related to currently available labelers.